ONCE NEWS of the 2026 World Cup coming to North
America was announced on Wednesday, Houston almost
instantly became a front-runner as one of the 23
cities the United Bid Committee accepted to be a potential
host city.
NRG Stadium would be the site of any potential World
Cup games should Houston be selected as a host city.
The stadium has hosted a variety of international soccer
matchups over the past several years, drawing at
or near capacity in the 72,200-seat stadium. Also
working in Houston’s favor is that the city hosted
Super Bowl 52 in January 2017 and is under consideration
to host its third at NRG Stadium within
the next 8-10 years.
The city would not be considered to be a host
for either the World Cup opener or final as NRG’s
capacity falls short of the 80,000 the World Cup
Committee requires to host either of those matches.
NRG Stadium’s most recent soccer event came
last July when Manchester City and Manchester
United drew more than 67,000 fans for the opening
match of the International Champions Cup. The
stadium will also pair up with BBVA Compass Sta dium,
home of the Dynamo and Dash men’s and
women’s soccer teams, when Houston serves as
one of the 13 host cities for next summer’s CONCACAF
Gold Cup.
According to the Houston Business Journal, a
host city could net between $90 million to $480
million for the 2026 World Cup. Depending on the
dates of the event, the Galveston County area
could also benefit, especially if it is held during the
summer months.
Hotel overflow could bring some international
visitors closer to the League City area, while places
such as the Kemah Boardwalk, Galveston Island
and South Shore Harbor would see a financial
jolt if Houston is selected to host multiple matches.
Houston is one of five cities in the Midwest and
Mountain West region that is under consideration for
becoming a World Cup host. Cincinnati, Kansas City,
Dallas and Denver are also in play, with Arlington’s
AT&T Stadium a strong candidate to host either the
opener or final.
The committee will pare the list of cities down to 23
by June 2020.
